


You Are My Sunshine

by EzzyDean



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Possessive!Mako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-11 05:50:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He remembered Mako asking, of all things, if Rin trusted him.  Which was silly because if he couldn’t trust Makoto then who could he trust?</p><p>(Just a MakoRin fic with very possessive Mako who is still new to this whole possessiveness thing.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

So they all reconciled. Then they all graduated and went their own ways again. Rin had indeed made it to the Olympics. Taken that gold medal even.  Stood there with the gold around his neck and grinned, proud to have beaten every single person who had ever doubted him.

He would have made his dad proud even if he hadn’t; he knew that now.  But he stood on that stage and he could have sworn he shone.

Then he came home.

There had been interviews and parties and endorsements at first.  But they had died off nearly as quickly as they had cropped up.  He had never been in this for the fame but… now where was he supposed to go from here?  What was he supposed to do?

Whatever it was he was pretty sure he wasn't going to find the answer in this seedy bar but at least over here in this town no one knew his name. He wouldn't run into an old classmate or teacher who wanted to hear all about his stunning race to reach the gold medal that he now had tossed in the back of his safe at home.  

“So you’ve been here pretty regularly lately.”  It wasn’t a question but Rin answered anyway, steeling himself against the obviously drunken panting on his neck as he shot the man on the stool next to him a glance.  The drinks were good enough here but the company had gotten questionable quickly.

“Have I?”

“Yeah.  What’s a looker like you doing in a crap place like this?”  Rin flashed his sharp grin and knew the man had to be completely trashed because he looked right at him and grinned back.  No one stuck around after Rin showed off his teeth.  Not unless they were too far gone to care or already knew about them.

“Well I certainly haven’t been looking for company.”

“Aw no one wants to drink alone.”

“I do.”  If he was getting this kind of attention it was probably time to find a different dive to lose himself in.  He had only been here a few times but apparently it was a few too many.

“Am I interrupting anything?”  Oh lovely.  The drunk had a friend.  Rin’s eyes widened as a hand slipped down his back and cupped his ass.  Correction: the drunk had a very handsy friend.

Even if Rin was interested in guys, this was not the way to get in his pants.

“The only thing you’ve interrupted is me dumping my drink on your pal here since he can’t take a hint.”  Rin finished his drink in one gulp and shoved off away from the bar, ignoring the irritated noises from the two men he left standing there.  It was late enough he should probably be heading back anyway.  It’s not that there was anything he needed to do but he still didn’t like staying out too late.  His body had gotten used to his strict training regime and he liked that stability, that sense of order in his life.

A hand circled his wrist as he marched across the small dance floor and he was spun face to face with the guy who had practically been slobbering on his neck.  His friend Mr. Handsy was only a step behind.  “Can you not take the hint?  I have no interest in either of you.”  He wrenched his wrist out of the grip and shoved his way out of the bar.  Completely oblivious to the stares they were getting.

The cool breeze slapped at his face the moment he left the bar and he eagerly took a deep breath.  Rubbing the back of his neck he shuddered.  He felt slimy where they had touched him and he was definitely going to need a shower when he got back home.

If he could remember where home was.  Glancing from side to side he blinked rapidly.  Why did everything seem so off kilter all of a sudden?  He hazily and belatedly remembered that the last couple drinks had been something strong and he shrugged.  Oh well.  He’d pay for it in the morning he supposed.  Whenever morning came.

He set off in the general direction of the nearest train station.  Or was it a bus station?  It was a station and he knew the name of the town he lived in and he figured that would get him close enough to home to matter for now.

Busy apologizing to the lamp post he nearly collided with he never noticed the pair of footsteps quickly catching up to him.  Agilely sidestepping the puddle of light in front of him he stumbled when a sweaty hand caught his elbow.  It was his two new friends from the bar; come to give him another pat down by the looks on their faces.

“Really.  Really?”  Part of his cloudy mind registered someone crossing the street just behind him and he briefly wondered if they would be considerate enough to help him ditch these two.  Or if he was really unlucky and this was the third musketeer come to join his buddies in plundering Rin.  When a warm hand caressed the back of his neck he stiffened and assumed that option B was in play.  

Until a familiar voice tickled his ear.

“It’s been awhile, Rin.”  Strong fingers spread into the hair against his neck and he turned and got lost in a pair of green eyes.

“Mako?”

“I thought you’d at least call one of us when you came back this time.”  Mako’s tone seemed harsh but his lips were curled into a smile and Rin’s fuzzy brain decided to focus in on that.

“Sorry.” Rin blinked a few times, trying unsuccessfully to clear some of the alcohol from his brain.  “I’ve been busy.”  Mako glanced from Rin’s flushed cheeks to the hand that still held his elbow and then slowly turned his gaze to the two men standing in front of them.

“I can see that.”

“Hey,” Mako looked over when the taller of the two men spoke to them but Rin was still focused on watching his friend’s face, “we were kind of in the middle of something.”  Mako squeezed Rin’s neck gently before dropping his arm around his waist.  Rin saw the way Mako’s eyes darkened and the way his jaw tightened ever so slightly and thought about warning the two men.  Then he remembered how Mr. Handsy had been squeezing his ass and how the panter had grabbed his wrist like he owned Rin and changed his mind.

If they were too dumb to sense danger why should he bother warning them?

He went to smile up at Mako and winced when Handsy tightened the grip on his elbow.  A move Makoto definitely took note of.

“Take your hands off of him.  You don’t get a second warning.”

Whoever coined the phrase “liquid courage” should have named it “liquid stupidity” instead.  There’s no other reason other than stupidity that Rin could think of for what happened next.  The grip on his elbow tightened even further and he let out a grunt as the man muttered a belligerent “Or else what?”

Rin tried to rub at his eyes with his free hand again to get rid of the haze. He could feel Makoto’s hand on him tense, and even drunk he knew that things were about to get worse. The least he could do was provide some support for his friend, considering he was the reason for this whole disaster.

Before he could do anything though, Makoto had turned a soft apologetic smile towards him.  One hand was still flexing gently on Rin’s hip while his other hand reached out and wrapped around Mr. Handsy’s wrist.  He released Rin’s elbow easily this time, surprisingly, but not without a cringe and yelp as Mako tightened his own grip.

“Sorry, Rin, could you stay here for a bit?” The brunet asked, easily guiding Rin to lean against the nearby wall without letting go of Handsy's wrist.

“Wait. Wha-” he slurred, tongue not forming the words quite right as he bumped the wall.

Then Mr. Handsy was crushed into the wall of the building beside them with blood running from his nose and Makoto’s forearm across his neck.  His companion froze for a moment, standing stupidly in the middle of the sidewalk, before rushing at Mako probably intending to catch him around the waist and knock him down, only to wind up crumpled in the middle of the sidewalk when Mako planted a foot into the man’s gut.

“I saw you.  Both of you.”  Makoto’s voice was sharp and Rin could see a predatory gleam in his eyes when the brunet stared at the man by his feet.  “Touching him.  Grabbing at him.  Drooling over him.  You don’t even know who he is so don’t think you can just handle him however you please.  He doesn’t belong to you.”  He turned back to the man whose throat he was slowly crushing shut and leaned in close, whispering something that Rin couldn’t quite make out but caused the other man’s eyes to widen in shock and fear.

“He’s mine.”


	2. Chapter 2

The world shifted and Rin stumbled backwards into Mako yet again.  It was a good thing the other man still had a good ten or twenty pounds on Rin and could easily hold him up.  Not that he had any intention of telling Makoto that.  Instead he stubbornly pushed Mako’s arm away from his waist but said nothing when he felt his fingers snag one of Rin’s belt loops as he walked just a step behind him.  “Where are we even going, Mako?”

“Take the next left and we’ll be in front of my apartment building in a minute.”  They had left the two men curled up on the sidewalk a few blocks from the bar at Rin’s insistence.  Makoto had wanted to talk with them a bit more but Rin decided that he was tired and that Mako should take him someplace to sleep.  So he had let the taller man lead them to the nearest train station and contentedly leaned against his shoulder through the trip listening to the other man humming quietly.  “I never expected you to be such a cute drunk.”

“Can’t help it.  I don’t drink much.”  Rin’s frown deepened when he heard the soft chuckle behind him and he lilted to his left around the corner.

 

He remembered that Mako’s fingers were still curled through his belt loop as they entered the darkened apartment and that his thumb was pressingly warmly against his lower back.  He remembered thinking that Mako’s apartment was a pretty decent sized one and wondering what it was that Mako had finally chosen for a career.  He remembered that the world was tilting haphazardly as he tried to walk from the entryway into the kitchen.

He remembered Mako asking, of all things, if Rin trusted him.  Which was silly because if he couldn’t trust Makoto then who could he trust?

Then everything was pretty blank until he woke up early the next morning as his stomach tried to swim its way from where it should be up into his throat.  He stumbled to the bathroom, not even questioning how he knew exactly where it was, and tried to empty his stomach.  Only to find out that it was already quite barren down there so he, instead, held onto the toilet as his stomach clenched and seized up mercilessly while his brain pulsed inside his skull.  What had he ever done in his life to deserve this kind of punishment, he wondered as he stared down at the tiled floor.

When the brutal heaving finally tapered off and the thundering beat dropped to a mild thumping he shuffled back to the bed and crawled into it.  He wasn’t even fully aware of the fact that Mako was on the other side under the covers until his large hand brushed the sweaty hair from his cheeks.

“You going to be okay now?”

“I think I’m dying,” Rin muttered, scrunching his face into the pillows.

“You’re hungover.  And I think one of those jerks might have slipped you something.”  Mako’s fingers twitched against Rin’s cheek and he cracked his eyes open to study the other man’s face.  The fuzziness of the night before sharpened into a few key points of clarity as Makoto’s hands smoothed his bangs away from his face.  “I almost wish you would have let me talk to them a little longer.”  Remembering the way Makoto’s green eyes had glittered under the streetlamp made Rin’s stomach clench.  But not in a nauseating way.  It was like when he watched a nature documentary and he would see a panther stalking it’s prey - all sleek muscles and liquid movements - and Rin’s muscles would tense in anticipation as he watched the screen just before the animal struck.

That’s what watching Makoto last night had been like.  There had been a wild, almost predatory gleam that had flashed through his gaze as he pinned the one man to the wall and just remembering that look made Rin shiver.

“If you had talked to them much more there would have been cops or doctors involved.”  Makoto didn’t say anything.  He simply ran a hand down Rin’s back and pulled the blanket up.  Before long Rin dozed off again under Makoto’s silent watch.

Rin hadn’t been too far off, Makoto supposed as he watched the redhead doze.  If either of them had talked to those men anymore than they had - be it Rin’s mouth or Makoto’s fists doing the talking - cops and doctors would have definitely been required.  

He had already been dangerously close to losing his control just watching Rin’s limited interactions with them at the bar.  Sometimes Rin just didn’t understand what he did to people or how much he needed to be watched out for.  Makoto sighed and rolled onto his back, finally falling asleep now that Rin appeared to have settled a little.

 

The next time Rin woke up his stomach stayed in one place.  But his head was still throbbing and now his mouth felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton.  According to the small clock on Makoto’s bedside table it was almost afternoon and he found himself alone under the blankets.  The bed seemed incredibly large and empty without Makoto taking up space.

He ran a hand through his hair and winced at the greasy feel; he was sure he looked absolutely atrocious right now.  Slipping out of bed, Rin took a couple of unsteady steps towards the door and cursed as he stumbled and bumped his hip into the dresser.  Obviously not all of whatever was in his system had worked its way out yet.  The door beside the dresser opened and Makoto stepped in with a tray balanced on one hand.

“Nuh-uh.  You put yourself right back under those covers.  I’m taking care of you today since you obviously can’t take care of yourself,” Makoto declared.  He gave Rin a stern look and nudged him away from the door.  But Rin stayed as steady as he could and scowled at the taller man.

“What’s that supposed to mean?  I can take care of myself just fine.”  Now that he was more or less fully functional Rin was determined to get back home.  He appreciated Mako saving his ass last night and letting him stay the night.  But he didn’t want to owe his old friend any more than he already did.

Plus he didn’t want him to see him looking so crappy and wrung out either.  He did have his pride after all.

“Yeah.  Tell that to your shirt from last night that you got sick on when we didn’t quite make it to the bathroom the first time.”  An embarrassed flush traveled from Rin’s neck straight to his cheeks and he glanced down at himself.  The fact that it had taken him this long to realize he wasn’t wearing his clothes from last night and was wearing nothing, absolutely nothing, but a huge t-shirt was probably a good indication that maybe he should cave to Mako today and let the green eyed take care of him.

Not like he had anyone waiting for him back at his own apartment.  The thought of going back once again to his empty apartment and nursing his hangover alone drained any fight he had left.

“Can I at least bathe?  I feel nasty.”

“Eat a little first.”  When Rin glared at his request Makoto smiled gently and softened his tone.  “Please?”  With a huff Rin turned around and slipped back under the covers.  Those damn green eyes would forever be his downfall.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunlight filtered in and he groaned when he became aware of it, snuggling a little further into the pillows.  Makoto had tried catching up with him after they ate and Rin was finally allowed to shower, but Rin just didn’t feel like discussing why he had been in one of the more unsavory bars in a town he didn’t even live in or why he hadn’t bothered to contact any of them since he’d been back.  So Makoto had dropped the topic, as kind and understanding as always, and they had spent the evening watching movies instead.  At some point Rin had fallen asleep - he vaguely remembered the comforting feel of Makoto’s shoulder under his cheek - and Makoto had once again carried him to bed.

He could only assume - because discussing what happened that first night was something else he could do without anytime soon - that Mako had to carry him at some point that first night as well.  He was sure Mako would bring it all up soon enough, though.  With that thought slinking to the forefront of his mind he groaned again and decided that now would be a great time to skedaddle out of here and get back to his own apartment.

Yes it would technically be a dick move to sneak out while Mako was at work.  Especially since he hadn’t seen the other man in a good couple years and he had just saved his ass from who knows what happening to it and turned around and took care of him for almost two days.

He acknowledged that fact.  

And he was going to do it anyway.

Because sadly being a dick was kind of ingrained into his personality by now.

He sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed only to let out a startled yelp when his arm didn’t follow the rest of him and he wound up on his back staring incomprehensibly at the ceiling.  Giving a tug he frowned at the jingling sound coming from behind the pile of pillows he had been laying on.  Heart pounding in his ears he shoved them out of the way and stared at his wrist.  A shiny silver handcuff was locked onto his wrist and a light shake confirmed that the other half was attached to Makoto’s headboard.

What the hell happened last night?

Just what the hell had he done that Makoto had felt the need to handcuff him to the bed?

His heart dove from his throat to his stomach as he desperately combed his memory for clues.  The only thing he remembered was falling asleep on Makoto’s shoulder during that last movie.

Shit.  Shit.  Shit.

A glance at Mako’s clock informed him that it was only ten in the morning and if he remembered correctly Mako wouldn’t be back until somewhere close to four that evening.

 

There wasn’t a single analog clock in Makoto’s apartment that he knew of but Rin could swear he heard the day ticking away anyway.  He had tried to loosen the headboard to free himself.  Tried pulling his wrist through the cuff.  Tried searching the bedside table for something to maybe pick the lock or slick his wrist enough to slide through.  The only thing he got for his troubles were some tissues, Makoto’s glasses, and a paperback book.  Oh and a fairly sore wrist from all the tugging and rubbing.

At first he had wondered how he was going to spend the day until Makoto came back.  Other than freaking out about just why exactly he was handcuffed to the bed; since it was Makoto there was obviously going to be a good reason.  He personally didn’t even care why Makoto had handcuffs.  To each their own and all that.  What mattered was why was he cuffed and what was he supposed to do until Mako came home?  

The book he found had occupied some of his time - mermaids and pirates and sea monsters were pretty cool after all - but now he had a different problem.  It was nearing half past two and he needed to pee.

Really, really needed to.  In fact he had kind of needed to for the last half hour.  Foot nervously twitching as he watched the minutes slip by he wondered, once again, just what had happened to be stuck like this.

Makoto had been worried about the possibility of whatever those two creeps had slipped him still being in his system all day yesterday; Rin had been kind of lethargic and cranky and it wasn’t all just because of the hangover.  But had it really been that serious?  He knew Makoto wouldn’t have taken him to the hospital unless it was incredibly bad.  If for no other reason than because Rin was still rather well known around here from his medal win and if word got out he had been drugged in some bar or, even worse, the story was spun into him taking drugs willingly it would haunt him for a long time.  

But he had to have done or said something to make Makoto worry enough about Rin’s safety to freaking handcuff him to his bed while he was at work, with absolutely no way of communicating with Makoto or anyone else since his phone was still out in the living room somewhere.

Rin’s eyes widened, all thoughts of needing the bathroom forgotten.  Had he threatened Mako in some way?  Maybe said something that had the taller man concerned?

Glancing again at the clock, just past three now and Mako needed to hurry home and give him some answers damn it, he wondered if it had only been the one day since he had been at the bar.  Had those two assholes given him something really horrible?  Maybe he had lost track of time, blacked out or something, and tried to do something stupid and dangerous.

Had he tried to hurt himself?  Or even worse?  

Had he tried to hurt Makoto?

Forcing the hot panic clawing it’s way up his throat back down his eyes shot to the closed bedroom door when he heard the front door open.  It wasn’t even half past three yet.  What if it wasn’t Makoto?  Did he have a housekeeper?  What if someone else walked in on Rin handcuffed to Makoto’s bed?  What if he tried to hurt whoever it was?  What if-

“Rin?  Sorry for leaving you like this.  You probably need the bathroom, right?”  Mako’s soft chuckle and the jangle of keys reached Rin’s ears and the pressure of his full bladder was suddenly once again the only thing on his mind as Mako pushed the door open.  He stumbled out of the bed and down the hallway as soon as the cuff clicked open ignoring Makoto’s amused huff and sighed in embarrassed relief when he barely made it to the bathroom in time.

“Fuck, Makoto.  If you’re gonna do something like that at least-” a strangled noise caught in his throat when he stepped back into the bedroom and caught a glimpse of his friend.  A dark bruise blotched his otherwise clear face just below his left eye and Rin froze, panic coloring his face as his mind shut down.

Oh fuck oh shit oh damn.  He had tried to hurt Makoto.  He had hit Makoto.  Fuck.

“At least what, Rin?”  Mako’s smile was as gentle as always and a little part of Rin’s jumbled thoughts cringed at how nice he was being to him.  Green eyes turned concerned as Rin paled and spun on his heel, determined to leave and lock himself in his own apartment for a year and probably be struck down by some water god somewhere for hurting someone as precious as Makoto.  He knew he had a temper but he thought he had taken care of that years ago.  “Rin?”

Mako’s hand grasped his wrist just before he reached the couch and he flinched as his fingers brushed over the raw skin.  It was a sudden harsh reminder of many things.  Dark corners of Rin’s mind lit up at the flare of pain and he jerked his wrist away, cupping it against his chest.  Eyes wide he backed across the room and up to the door and nearly tripped over the shoes sitting there.

“Rin?  What’s wrong?  Look about the handcuff thing-”  Makoto took a cautious step towards Rin and held out his hand stopping when Rin flinched.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?  For what?”  Makoto shook his head and reached out again.  “C’mon let’s just sit down and talk.”

“How can you be so calm after what happened?  After what I did?”

“I’m confused.  What did you do?”  Rin made a vague gesture towards Makoto’s face and dropped his head in shame.  Brushing his cheek Makoto suddenly understood.  Rin thought he had caused the bruise on Mako’s cheek and felt guilty.  “My bruise?”  The meek nod was so out of character for the redhead that Makoto almost laughed.

Instead he reached out once again and tugged Rin into a hug.

“You are too sweet, you know that, Rin?”  A flush lit his cheeks but he didn’t try to pull away.  Being wrapped up like this felt like being in a warm comforting blanket even if guilt was eating at his gut.  “This bruise isn’t because of you.  In fact it’s why I’m home early today.”  Rin didn’t even realize they had been making their way back to the couch until he was pulled down onto Makoto’s lap.  “You remember I said I’m a Literature teacher at the University?  Well there was a disagreement between two of my students today and I had to step in and stop it before things got out of hand.”

“What?”

“Yeah.  So I had to end class early and settle things and then stop by the office really quick to report it.”

“So I didn’t do anything to hurt you?”

“What?”  Makoto asked with a chuckle.  “No.”

“Then why was I handcuffed if I didn’t try and hurt you?  Did I try to hurt myself?  Or someone else?  What happened?”  Makoto had the faintest touch of pink on his cheeks when he replied.

“Call me selfish but I just wanted to make sure you were still here when I got home.”

“What the fuck kind of ridiculous reason is that?”  Rin pushed away from Mako with a growl and stood in front of him, hands fisted angrily on his hips.  Unfazed Mako looked up at him and tilted his head to the side.

“What were you thinking when you got out of bed this morning?”

“That I’d go to the bathroom and go ho- oooh.”  All the indignation drained from Rin as his waking thoughts popped up and he shuffled from one foot to the other, rubbing at his wrist absently.

“I kind of figured.  And then you’d go and disappear on me for another few years.”  He wished Makoto would sound accusing or angry or even frustrated.  But the brunet just stood and held out his hand for Rin’s with that slight goofy smile that he always gave him and he simply sounded resigned to the idea of Rin leaving him behind again.  “I just wanted to spend some more time with you before you vanished again.  That’s all.  Like I said, call me selfish.”  Rin let Makoto lead him to the bathroom and watched silently as he pulled out some first aid stuff and tended to Rin’s wrist.

The motions were sure and smooth.  Calm and quick due to years of practice with the twins Rin supposed.  Watching the way his hair fell around his face as he concentrated on Rin’s wrist made a part of Rin’s heart clench.  It wasn’t like he had wanted to leave his friends behind.  But to go for his dreams he had to leave.  Had to step out into that world.

Shifting as the weight of his past started to catch up again he shrugged.  “It’s not like I was really all that hard to find.  There were tv reporters and interviews and televised events all the time.”  Makoto made a noncommittal noise and wrapped a piece of gauze around Rin’s wrist before putting everything away.  Unsure of what to say Rin shuffled out of the bathroom and sat glumly on the couch.

God he could really be an ass sometimes.  But Makoto had understood, they all had, that when he had left it wasn’t out of any malice or with any thoughts of forgetting them.  In fact they had always been in his thoughts.  They had been a huge part of why he had been able to get there.  To grab the gold and stand on stage with it.  But he supposed that didn’t really mean much when he never took the time to return phone calls or even send out a mail here or there.

“I got busy and then time slipped by and,” Makoto stretched out on the couch next to him, propping his feet up on the table in front of them, “well I know it’s a shitty excuse but it just seemed like there would always be time ‘tomorrow’ to talk to you guys.”  The smile from Mako was expected.  That was Makoto’s thing.  He smiled at you and that smile would say a million different things: you’re forgiven, you’re being silly, you’re safe here.

The laugh he let out is what surprised Rin.  It was so unrestrained and came from somewhere deep inside him.  Like he had been holding it back since the moment Rin had left and was finally letting it out.  To Rin it sounded like home.

And that was what had always scared him about Makoto.

“So now that you’re here does that mean we can make up for lost time and finally hang out some?”

“I don’t see why not.  Not like my schedule is full or anything,” Rin said and flashed Makoto a grin.  “I’m all yours.”


	4. Chapter 4

Rin already regretted agreeing to this.  He should have never let Nagisa talk him into it and he’s not even sure he wants to know how Nagisa talked Haru into it.  But here they were.  All gathered at some little club that Nagisa said they just had to come to.  The music was loud and Rin had felt it thrumming through his skin even before they made it inside the building.  Makoto was scrunched into the corner with Haru to one side and Rei to the other.  Gou was between Rei and himself and Nagisa was practically sitting on his lap.

“You can sit closer to Haru, you know.  He doesn’t bite.  I might,”  Rin stated before flashing his teeth at Nagisa who just laughed in response.

“You don’t scare me, Rinrin.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Can’t make me,” Nagisa challenged and stuck his tongue out.  Then he swiped Rin’s drink with the practiced ease of a natural little shit and downed it in one gulp.

“Nagisa!” Rei sputtered as the blonde placed the now empty glass in front of Rin and rested his already flushed cheek in his hand, eyeing Rin expectantly.

“Fine.  I get the point.  I will do two shots with you.  Any two shots.  Any time.  But only two.  I am not getting completely wasted tonight.”  He shared a glance with Makoto.  “I have learned my lesson.”

Makoto watched from the corner and wondered just how things had come to this point.  All he wanted to do was grab Rin from where he was sitting and haul him home.  

When he had woken up on the couch earlier and had been alone he had panicked for a moment, sure that Rin was gone again.  A quick glance over the couch had provided some relief in the form of Rin’s shoes still sitting on the floor next to his own.  So he had gotten up, dropped the blanket that had been draped over his shoulders onto the couch, and stumbled to the bedroom.

When he saw Rin curled up under the covers he stopped and just watched him.  He wished he could take a picture of that moment and keep it forever.  Rin just looked so right laying there in bed.  Like he belonged right there.  Like the bed was as much his as Makoto’s.  Which, he conceded as he crawled under the covers and pulled Rin to him with a content sigh, it might as well be.  Rin was practically living with him nowadays.  Makoto’s last conscious thought before falling back asleep was wondering if there was someway he could convince Rin to do just that.  It would make things much more convenient and less worrisome after all.

Now he watched as Nagisa hooked his arm through Rin’s and drug the taller man up to the bar for the first of his two shots.  It felt like every eye in the club was on Rin.  Part of him knew that it was a silly thought but that didn’t stop him from sweeping the club with a stern gaze every couple of minutes.

“Something wrong, Makoto?” Gou asked.

“No.  This just isn’t really my kind of place.”  He smiled reassuringly at her and took a sip of his drink.  He had to control these possessive feelings of his.  It was ok when it was just Rin and him in some random bar, in fact it was almost like they were playing a game when the two of them went out.  He knew that Rin drug him out to bars for the attention.  Rin liked the attention that the guys gave him when they started hitting on him and then he loved seeing them panic when Mako would pop up and wrap an arm around him.

But that was a game between the two of them.  It wasn’t really something to bring up in front of their friends, no matter how Rin smiled at him or how every eye in the room seemed to be drawn to the redhead.

So Mako resigned himself to sitting in the corner and just watching.  Watching how Rin’s eyes widened when he heard Nagisa order their shot.  Watching how the light played in his hair when Rin tipped his head back to swallow the shot.  Watching his throat bob.  Watching him lick his lips and give Nagisa a grin.  Watching the way the guys at the bar were giving the cute little blonde and his attractive friend appraising looks.

“You’re staring,” Haru murmured, eyes distant as he scanned the crowd.  Makoto jumped at the observation and gave a slight chuckle.

“I’m just wondering what Nagisa is up to.”

“Nothing good.”  Haru turned his gaze to Makoto and squinted a little as if he were trying to figure something out.  “He probably just wants to get us all drunk and try to get us arrested for something.  Again.”  An indignant gasp sounded as Nagisa bumped into the table before pushing Rin back into the booth and then dropping in his lap.  Makoto felt his throat clench and he nearly missed what was being said as he reminded himself that this was just Nagisa and Nagisa was a very affectionate person to all of his friends.

“Why would you say something like that about me?”

“How did you know I was talking about you?  Guilty conscience?”  Nagisa’s already pink cheeks turned an even brighter shade before he nuzzled into Rin’s chest, hiding from Haru’s stare.

“Rinrin, Haru’s being mean to me.”  Rin pushed Nagisa off his lap and onto the booth none too gently and shook his head.  He caught Mako’s watchful gaze and gave him a smile.  It almost felt like Rin was reassuring him.

“Stop being dramatic,” Rin said.  Then before Nagisa could latch on to him again he stood up.  “And stop clinging.  And don’t follow me to the bathroom, you little creeper,” he quickly added when Nagisa started to get up too.  Nagisa pouted but stayed put, throwing an irritated look at Gou when she laughed at him.

“You’re like his little puppy.  It’s cute.”  Makoto barely heard Gou and Nagisa’s teasing while Rei tried to mediate.  He was busy watching the guy at the bar who had been watching Rin.  The guy who had stood up and casually made his way to the bathroom right after Rin headed that way.  Makoto debated following but was distracted when Nagisa gleefully shouted a server over to their booth and grabbed a shot for each of them.

By the time Mako had finally agreed to take the shot and they had all downed them Rin was back.  A slight blush covered his cheeks as he sat with a huff, rolling his eyes at Makoto’s curious look.

The rest of the night buzzed by in a blur of sound and colors as Nagisa proceeded to try his best to get everyone incredibly drunk.  He succeeded to a degree.  Haru was happily buzzed and Makoto had switched spots with him at one point so he spent a good portion of his time resting on either Rei or Makoto’s shoulder while he sipped his drinks.  Rei was getting pretty far gone himself and he continued to get into debates with Gou and Nagisa over random topics.  The drunker he got the more passionate he got about the subjects.  Haru had listened intently at his ten minute rant about the local sealife before turning to Makoto with a solemn “He’s funny.”  Rin’s two shot maximum had been upped to four and he once again was leaning against the bar with Nagisa.

Makoto’s limbs were heavy with alcohol and frustration as he stood and headed off towards the bathroom.  That guy had been eyeing Rin all night and Makoto had seen enough.  Every time Rin was away on his own for a couple minutes that guy was there.  He stood too close to Rin and touched him way too casually.  Mako had seen Rin shaking his head at the guy and when he had finally gotten a quiet moment while the others were distracted he had managed to ask Rin if the guy was bothering him.

“It’s nothing more than the usual drunken come ons.  You know how it is.  They tell me I look nice or smell good.  I tell them I’m here with you.  They back off,” and then Rin had flashed him that smile of his that made Mako want to wrap him up and never let him go and it had taken every ounce of willpower he had not to just grab the redhead and haul him into his lap for the remainder of the night regardless of their friends being there.

He was washing his hands when a voice broke into his thoughts and his attention snapped back to the too bright bathroom.

“What was that?”  Dark eyes glittered at him from under a ball cap.  There he was.  Just the guy Makoto really didn’t want to see right now, or ever again really.  He dropped his eyes to the grey tiled floor and took a calming breath.

“I said that friend of yours is quite the looker.”

“My friend?”

“Yeah that cute redhead who keeps sliding up next to me at the bar.”

“Don’t even go there,” Makoto’s voice was a whisper as he tried to reign in his emotions.  Getting into a fight in some dingy bathroom at a club would not look good on his standing as a teacher.  Especially while intoxicated.  He wasn’t drunk but he was buzzed enough that any reports filed would most likely include the words “under the influence of alcohol” in them.

“I’d love to get my hands on that nice little ass of his.”  The guy made a cupping motion and gave Makoto a wink.  “Do you think I have a chance of taking him home with me?”

“Don’t even think about trying.”

“Why?  None of you are together, right?  I’ve been watching long enough to know that much.  Well that blonde’s all over everyone so he’s hard to tell but that redhead ain’t with anyone.  That’s for sure.”

“Stop talking.”

“Serious question.  What’s with those teeth of his?  I bet he’s into some real kinky action with those things.”  The man gave him a grin and patted Makoto’s shoulder.

“Just shut up and walk out of here now.  I’m warning you.”

“Warning me?  What are you going to do?”

The feel of the guy’s teeth scraping Makoto’s knuckles as he punched him in the face sent off warning flares throughout his body.  He felt a muscle in his cheek twitching as he watched the guy cup his mouth and nose, eyes watering as blood seeped through his fingers and splattered on the grimy floor.

“Seriously.  Come near him again and that will be the nicest thing I do to you,”  Makoto warned him.  Then he rinsed his hand off and dried it on his jeans as he stepped out of the bathroom and back into the club where the thrumming music was in sync with the blood rushing through his veins.

A few minutes later he made an excuse to the others, something about still being tired from the day before, and left before he could do any more damage.  Makoto couldn’t be sure if it was the alcohol or just his own normal urges that had made him punch that guy.  Either way it had been satisfying to watch his eyes widen in surprise and shock as Mako’s fist connected with his nose.  

He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t do worse to the next person who so much as looked at Rin with interest.  He needed to get these urges under control fast.  This was not normal.  Not at all.

“Jeez, Mako!  I’ve been calling after you for like four blocks.”  Rin’s hand was warm on his arm and he gently shook it off without looking back or breaking stride.  “Damn it I’m trying to talk to you.”

“I’m not really in a talking mood, Rin.  Sorry.”

“What. The. Hell?”  Rin stepped in front of him and he finally stopped, looking down into Rin’s angry gaze.  “You’ve been ignoring me all night and then you just rush out without even so much as a ‘see you later’ and I have to run to catch up to you?”

“I wasn’t ignoring you.”

“I had guys all over me and you didn’t do a thing to help me.”

“You always say you can take care of yourself.  Besides I didn’t think you’d want me to be touching you so much with the others around.  Why are you so upset over this?”

“Because you’re my boyfriend!”  The words were barely out of his mouth before Rin’s face flushed and he took a step backwards.

“I… what?”

Rin let out a squeak and turned on his heel.  “Forget it.  I didn’t say anything.  I’m going home.  Bye.”

“Boyfriend?”  Makoto muttered as he watched Rin hightail it in the direction of the nearest station.

 

His life was over.  Everything he had worked to rebuild once again with his friends was done.  There was no way this was going to work out in his favor.  Makoto would probably be upset with him, in his special Makoto way where he didn’t really get upset but you could still feel it, and he’d have to leave and never come back to the country.  God he was such an idiot.  He needed to just stop and think things through.

It took him the entire trip home and another forty minutes to calm down enough to even look at his phone.  Two texts from Makoto and one from Gou waited for him.  Gou's simply told him to call her when he could hang out again.

[Makoto: Don’t freak out about the whole boyfriend thing too much, okay?]

[Makoto: Get back to me when you’re ready to and we’ll talk.  But don’t make me wait too long or I’ll come after you.]

Don’t freak out too much?  How could he not?  After Gou put the idea in his head last night he had been playing it over and over again and then he managed to slip up and babble it at Makoto.  

Rin tossed his phone onto his bed and flopped down beside it.  He had even been getting upset tonight because Makoto wasn’t acting like a “boyfriend” should.  He never once touched Rin or came to his defense tonight which, after so many nights together at the bars, had just felt so wrong.  Seeing the glint that appeared in Mako’s eyes every time some drunk asshole grabbed at him or hit on him had been interesting in it’s own way but tonight Mako didn’t do anything.   In fact Nagisa had been the one to help him fend off overeager advances.  It was frustrating.  Which it shouldn't have been since they weren't actually dating or anything.  But it was.

To top it all off he had rushed out after Makoto had left intending to find out what seemed to be bothering him.  He had come back from the bathroom looking tense and had been rubbing his knuckles while he made excuses to leave.  Rin thought about it again for a moment and shot up, grabbing his phone when he put two and two together.

[Rin: What happened to your hand in the bathroom?]

He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and sprawled under the covers as he waited for a response.

[Makoto: What do you mean?]

[Rin: You were rubbing it like you hit in on something while you telling everyone you had to leave because you were “tired”]

[Makoto: I am tired.]

[Rin: But you’re still up talking to me?]

[Makoto: That’s because it’s you and I was concerned after the way you left.]

[Rin: So what happened to your hand?]

[Makoto: It was nothing important.]

He frowned and rolled his eyes at his phone.  This was ridiculous and getting him nowhere.  After only a moment of hesitation he hit the call button.

“Rin.  Is something wrong?”

“You’re lying to me.”

“What?”

“Something happened.  Just tell me what it was.”

“I already told you, it’s nothing important.”

“Makoto.”  Rin knew that using his pouting tone was probably a low blow - the sigh Makoto let out confirmed it - but he needed to know what happened.

“Some guy was making insinuations about you and when I asked him to stop he wouldn’t.”

“Was it the creeper in the baseball hat who kept grabbing my ass when I was at the bar with Nagisa?”

“He did what?”  Makoto’s voice dropped to a mumble and Rin gripped the phone tighter.  “I should have hit him twice.”

“Wait.  You hit him?  Like you punched him?”

“Yeah.”

“Because of me?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s-”

“Kind of a crappy move, I know.”

“No.  I was gonna say that’s kind of nice.”  Rin heard Makoto inhale sharply and he winced.  So much for thinking things through.

“What?”

“I know.  It doesn’t make sense but I kind of like the fact that you’re willing to punch someone because they were saying crappy things about me.”

“I really have no idea how to respond to this,” Makoto said and then chuckled.  “Once again you surprised me, Rin.”  He felt his cheeks heating up and Rin hid his face in his blanket.

“Whatever.  I’m hanging up so you can go to bed.”  And so I can stop embarrassing myself, he thought as they said goodnight.

 

When he moved into Makoto's apartment a month later it wasn't as if everything changed.  Yet at the same time it was.  When the final box was dropped inside and the door locked behind them the first thing Makoto did was wrap Rin in a hug.  As if it was something he had been waiting to do all day.

"You know you can touch me when we're around the others?  They're not bothered by us going out."  Makoto's arms tightened and he rested his head on Rin's shoulder.  "In fact Nagisa asked what took us so long."  Makoto mumbled something, warm breath ghosting across Rin's neck, and he tilted his head away.  "What was that?"

"I said if I touch you around the others then I'll never want to let you go.  Nagisa touches you too much as is."

"Possessive much?" Rin asked before shuffling towards the kitchen, Makoto still wrapped around him.

"About you?  Completely.  I just want to tie you up and keep you here forever.  No one deserves to look at you."

"Not even you?"

"Especially not me."

"Ah.  But you see now that I'm here you're stuck with me.  You might as well tie me up because I'm not leaving you."


	5. Chapter 5

There were moments when Rin wondered just how he had managed to get this lucky.  Makoto loved him, had loved him a long time, and had spent as much time as Rin simply setting his feelings for his friend to the side.  After all, how were they supposed to deal with potential feelings of love when they were having such troubles grasping the concepts of friendship?  And dealing with that foreign concept of adulthood?  Forget it.

So they had pushed and shoved and pulled and jostled their way into each other’s lives.  Lived through school and homework and tests and tournaments.  They had all drifted apart a little again.  But now… now they had their chance.  They were adults.  They paid bills and bought groceries.  Went to the dentist and the optometrist.  Cleaned up after themselves.  Cooked.  Did laundry and dishes.  Weekend meetups went from arcades and festivals to bars and restaurants.

So when the chance presented itself he had leapt at it.  He wasn’t interested in wasting any more time wondering about what might have happened between them.  Sure they didn’t get along perfectly from the start.  They had sore spots where they butted against each other instead of just slotting into each other.  Corners that were a little rougher than expected.  Walls that were taller than they thought at first.  Spots that were darker than they knew.

Makoto liked his chocolates.  Rin disliked most sweets.

Rin had to cuddle with something in his sleep and often cocooned himself.  Makoto didn’t like too many blankets or pillows.

Makoto hated scary movies.  Rin loved gory flicks.

Rin only liked things he was good at.  Makoto liked anything that kept him active.

There were spots that overlapped sometimes.  Darkened rooms in their souls that seemed to mirror each other in some way.  Walls that had seemed to form back to back.

They both had nightmares and though the details varied the centers were the same: loss and fear.

They both had tempers, though Rin’s flared while Makoto’s pulsed.

Rin’s words were often hastily thrown out, but they were true.  Makoto’s were carefully thought out, yet sincere.

They both knew which buttons to push on the other and which they weren’t ready to explore yet.

But little by little they built steps into their walls.  Placed candles into the dark corners.  Smoothed the edges with practice and patience.

Patience had never been one of Rin’s strong suits.  Action, perseverance, hard work all described him.  Once he made a choice he jumped headlong into it, damn the consequences.  Makoto, on the other hand, had the kind of patience that they wrote stories about.  Patient, understanding, intense.  Those were the kind of words that you’d find in the dictionary next to his picture.

But in the copy of the dictionary that Rin held you would also find giant tease and absolutely incorrigible listed some days.

Today was one of those days.

Makoto strolled out of the bathroom, still dripping from his shower, and leaned in the doorway watching Rin try and decide on an outfit.  Makoto picked a few clothes out, seemingly at random, and slipped into them after drying off.  Rin was distracted by the play of muscles along Makoto’s back as he dried his hair off and he shook his head to clear his thoughts before turning back to his closet.

“What’s taking so long to decide?  It’s not like you’re going on a date or anything.”  Makoto turned from his dresser and watched as Rin picked through two or three different shirts.  He was already wearing one of his tank tops and was searching for a shirt to finish his outfit.

“You wouldn’t get it.  I have to look good.”

“Don’t you always look good?”  It was the little innocent comments like those that would swoop in and knock the strength out of his knees.  God how was Makoto so smooth sometimes and such a stumbling dork other times?  “Don’t tell me you’re trying to look nice cause we’re getting together at Haru’s.  I might get jealous if you do.”  Makoto wrapped his arms around Rin and Rin sighed happily at the warmth of Makoto’s embrace.

“I just wanna look good if I’m going out with you, okay.”  Makoto’s arms tightened and he pressed a soft kiss to Rin’s neck before nipping lightly at his ear.

“You always look good enough to eat up.”  He pressed kisses along Rin’s neck and shoulders while walking him back towards the bed, grinning at the lack of protest from his boyfriend.  Dropping onto the bed and pulling Rin down with him was a piece of cake when Rin was being compliant like this.  He drew the redhead against him and swept his tongue along Rin’s lips, tasting him with an approving hum.  He loved sweets and chocolate but Rin was by far his favorite flavor.  Makoto ran his hands lazily through Rin’s hair as he kissed him.  The little moan and shift downwards of Rin’s hips was just what he had been waiting for and he pulled back and slipped his hands down to still Rin’s hips, earning a disgruntled growl from Rin as he sat up.

"Is my little Rinrin feeling impatient today?"  Rin glared down at the seemingly innocent face of the man whose hips he was straddling and whose tongue had just been in his mouth.

"I’m not little and I told you not to call me Rinrin.  That nickname is ancient and horrible."  A warm hand slipped under his tank top and wrapped itself in the fabric tugging him forward until his nose hovered just above Makoto’s.

"But you are mine," Makoto whispered possessively against his lips.  He couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his spine at the words.  Or the whine that slipped from his lips when Makoto slid out from under him and off the bed.  "I’ll wait outside for you.  Don’t be too long or we’ll be late.  Oh and you should wear the shirt on my dresser."  The hint of a smirk on the brunet’s face as he shut the door behind him was enough to make Rin groan.

"Damn tease."  He loved Makoto more than he ever thought possible.  But some days he hated him too.  It was his fault that Rin had an embarrassingly impressive hard on just from some kisses.  Just as they were getting ready to leave too.

He picked up the shirt on the dresser and slipped into it.  It was one of Makoto’s so it was baggy on him but it fit the look of the rest of his outfit perfectly and he smiled as Makoto’s scent surrounded him.

The thought that Makoto had him wrapped around his finger briefly crossed his mind as he left the bedroom but then he saw the way Makoto’s eyes widened slightly and the way his lips curled appreciatively at seeing him in the shirt Makoto chose and he realized that he probably had Makoto wrapped around his finger too.


	6. Chapter 6

Makoto liked leaving his mark on Rin.  It was something Rin found out after their first few times having sex.  Not the first time, of course.  That was all hands and fumbling and an odd mix of gentleness and passion and it had lasted well into the next morning.  Their second time was less heated passion and more intense pleasure; seeing how far they could push the other before they both lost their cool, seeing what really worked for the other.

Not long after that Rin realized that Makoto had kind of a thing for leaving marks on him.  

It wasn’t until he changed into his swimwear and started his class at the pool that he had even realized Makoto had left marks the night before.  He glanced in the mirror and froze.  A dark bruise covered the spot where his shoulder and neck met and he pressed at it with curious fingers.  It didn’t really hurt but it was very obvious without a shirt on.

“Are you coming, Coach?”  One of his students called from the doorway and he grabbed the light jacket he had worn today and slipped it on, shrugging and turning a few times before the mirror to make sure it would cover his neck enough.  Looks like today’s practice routine was going to be a little different than planned.

 

 

He handed Makoto a plate and had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the larger man.  “Look, Mako.  I said I wasn’t upset.  Just that we should maybe be a little careful when we know I have practice with the kids the next day.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey.  Honest mistake.  Not like you did it on purpose or anything.”  Mako’s fingers twitched as he reached for the empty glass and he knocked it into the sink with a splash, wetting Rin’s already damp shirt.  This was the fourth time he had knocked or dropped something into the sink and Rin took pity on him.  “Just go sit down,” he smiled and nudged Makoto out of the kitchen.  He hadn’t missed the way Makoto’s cheeks had flushed slightly when Rin had brought up the mark.  Or the way Makoto’s fingers seemed to twitch every time Rin’s own had brushed against his neck, like he wanted to be the one touching the skin over and around the mark.

Maybe he hadn’t consciously left the mark on Rin’s neck but somewhere deep down he had meant to do it.  Surprisingly Rin wasn’t bothered by that.  Makoto had captured his attention and affection years ago, when they were just children, so the idea that Mako was finally claiming Rin as his was kind of… exhilarating.

He curled up on the couch and nestled into Makoto’s warm side, smiling happily when Makoto wrapped his arm around him.

“Seriously.  It’s fine,” Rin muttered when he felt Mako’s fingers start moving restlessly against his shoulder.

“You’re too good to me,” Makoto murmured.  He had nuzzled his nose into Rin’s hair.

“Naw, you’re too good to me.  I mean, come on.  You basically let me live here and mooch off of you.  You buy me food and movies and all I do is some housework and then go coach some moody hormonal teenage swimmers.”

“You are not mooching off of me.  I’m taking care of you.  Willingly.  There’s a difference.  You know you wouldn’t even have to do the housework if you didn’t want to.”  Rin snuggled closer to Makoto, nearly crawling into his lap, and pulled a blanket over them.

“You spoil me.”

“Yeah.”  

Rin made an irritated sound, but there was no real feeling behind it and they both knew it.  “You didn’t have to agree so quickly.”

 

 

Maybe Makoto hadn’t been doing it consciously before.  But now that he knew Rin was okay with it he definitely seemed to be aware of what he was doing with his lips and teeth - and he did it well.  If Makoto ever figured out just how much Rin enjoyed seeing the purpling bruises on his shoulders and neck, how pressing them when he saw them in the mirror sent a jolt of heat through his body, Rin was screwed.

So, naturally, Rin was screwed.

Makoto had shuffled into the bathroom that morning and watched as Rin pressed at the mark just above his collarbone. Eyes closed with a slight smile on his lips as he remembered what they had done the night before.  When he bit his lip an appreciative hum from behind him made him snap his eyes open.  Makoto grinned at him and nudged him away from the sink so he could get ready for the day.

Maybe he hadn’t really caught much, Rin desperately hoped as he prepared them a simple breakfast.  Maybe Makoto was just enjoying the view of Rin in the mirror.  Maybe he had still been in a slight post-sleep haze and had just been grinning at some dream that was lingering in his mind.  Maybe-

“You like it, don’t you?”

Maybe Rin was screwed.  As if Makoto didn’t already have him practically wrapped around his fingers in every sense possible.  He was Makoto’s.  Physically, mentally, spiritually, whatever.  However you looked at it Rin belonged to Makoto.

The fact that the realization didn’t scare the shit out of him would have been surprising if it wasn’t for the fact that it was Makoto.  Like he had said so many times before.  If he couldn’t trust Makoto, who could he trust?

So he let out a quiet sigh and turned to hand the brunet a plate.

“Yeah.  I do.  I told you I didn’t mind it.”

“I just figured you were, well, kind of indulging me.”  They sat down and ate in comfortable silence.  It wasn’t until they finished that Rin answered Mako’s unasked question.

“In a way I kind of was at first,” his smile was soft and truthful and Makoto smiled back, “But it honestly never bothered me.  It’s just that until recently I never really realized how much…” his voice dropped off and he looked away, eyes passing over the dirty dishes without really seeing them.

“How much you enjoyed it?”

“Yeah.”

“I know I like seeing the marks I put on you.  Seeing the proof of what we did.  How much we enjoyed it.”

“I like seeing the proof that I’m yours.”  Rin’s voice was so soft that Makoto almost didn’t think he heard him correctly.  His fingers twitched and he watched the flush crawl up Rin’s neck and cheeks as he collected their dishes and turned to the sink.  Leaving Makoto to watch Rin’s back, watch the play of muscles under the threadbare shirt he wore to bed, watch him scrub at the pans and plates.

“Yeah,” Makoto said, standing and dropping a quick kiss to the back of Rin’s flushed neck, “I like that too.”

 

 

He glowered at the article on his phone.  He and Rin had discussed a lot of things and when they felt it was needed they had researched too.  Neither had even really known they had any kinks when they had gone into the relationship.  Well he had known about his thing with the handcuffs but that was it.  Usually they found their answers, and some interesting new ideas, and then things were over.  But this time he was not liking what he was finding.

Obsessed was such an unbecoming word.  His feelings for the other man were not some dirty obsession.  His love was so much purer than that.  Wasn’t it?  After all no one understood Rin like he did.  No one knew Rin like he did.  No one.  Anyone who claimed otherwise could be easily dismissed.  Makoto was not someone to be underestimated.

Rin hadn’t answered his texts all day and he hadn’t picked up when Makoto called the apartment.  There was only one place Rin would go at this time of day.  So here Makoto was, waiting patiently at the cafe across from Rin’s gym.  He sipped his coffee and closed out of the article.  He instead skimmed through the pictures on his phone, glancing at the passersby outside with minimal interest.   When Rin stepped out, red hair still damp from his shower, Makoto put down his coffee and slipped after him.  Even from this distance he could smell the lingering scent of chlorine mixed with Rin’s soap wafting back from Rin.  He wished he could bottle that scent so he could breathe it in any time he wanted to no matter where he was.

A cheery voice called out to the redhead and Makoto fell back a couple steps and studied the display in a nearby flower shop.  It was surprising to some that someone as tall as he was could blend into the background so easily.  But it came in handy.  

His eyes narrowed as Nagisa, Haru, and Gou hurried up to Rin.  Nagisa giggled at something Rin said and Makoto growled low in his throat.  That was his Rin they were hanging all over.  He could tolerate it from Gou, she was Rin’s sister after all, but Nagisa and Haru.  Well they knew better.

Rin was Mako’s not Nagisa’s.  Not Haru’s.  The other two knew that but appeared to have forgotten.  Mako would just have to… remind them.  A small smile crept onto his face as he turned and headed back to the station.  He’d just wait at home for Rin.

 

“Rin.”  Makoto’s voice growled beside his ear in the dark and Rin let out a yelp of surprise, dropping his keys.

“Mako!  Jeez why are you standing here in the dark?”  He let out a soft chuckle and bent to grab his keys.  “You scared me.”  The lock clicked into place behind him and Makoto wrapped a hand around his elbow and pulled him through the darkened apartment, keys forgotten on the floor.  “Makoto?”

“You’ve been gone all day,” Makoto stated as he tugged Rin into the bedroom and tossed him onto the bed.  Before he could react Makoto had pulled him to the head of the bed, pinning his wrists above him with ease.  Cold metal surrounded his wrists.

“Mako, I-”

“All day, Rin.  I called the apartment when you didn’t return my texts.”

“Shit.  My phone must have died.  I’m sorry, Mako.  You know I wouldn’t do something like that on purpose.”

“Sorry won’t cut it, Rin.  What if something happened to you?”

“I was just hanging out with Gou.  And Nagisa and Haru tagged along.”  Rin’s breath caught when he finally caught a good glimpse of Makoto’s eyes.  That predatory gleam was in them.  There really wasn’t any point in wasting his time trying to talk to his boyfriend in the state he was in.  The best thing to do would be just relax and ride it out.  “Nothing happened.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Of course not.  You know that.”  The smile he gave Makoto was so pure, so kind that it almost blinded the brunet for a moment.  Rin was too good for him.  Too good for anyone really.  If anyone unsavory put their hands on Rin Makoto would be furious.  Even if that person was a friend.  His hands shook as they hovered over Rin’s body and he met the redhead’s steady gaze with a fevered one of his own.

“I have to be sure.  I have to.”

Rin nodded.  “I understand.”

  
  
  


Rin woke the next morning with a groan, muscles contentedly sore as he stretched under the covers.  Makoto’s fingers clenched around his hips for a moment and Rin smiled at him.  Still trying to reassure Makoto, trying to soothe the worry that had chased the brunet into sleep.  His final muttered words before falling asleep last night had been a series of apologies.  Rin’s smile only caused Mako to frown at him.

“Still, Mako?”  He sighed and snuggled into the warm chest in front of him.  “Really it’s fine.  It’s kind of my fault anyway.  I should have let you know what was going on.”

"No.  Rin.  It's not ok.  There's something wrong with me."

"Because you got upset?  It’s partially my fault for not asking you or checking in or anything."

"No.  It’s because I hurt you."

"Do I look hurt to you?  So I have a couple bruises.  No big deal.  You've left bigger ones.  You know I don’t mind.  We’ve talked about it."  They had.  They talked about all of it.  The marks, the handcuffs, the blindfolds.  Every kink that one of them came up with could be brought up.  Discussed.  Attempted.  Some worked for both of them.  Some didn’t.  Rin’s teasing smile died a little when he saw the look in Makoto's eyes.  "Seriously.  Mako.  It's okay."

"No it's not.  It's not just that I hurt you.  I, well," his voice caught and Rin realized that Makoto was refusing to look him in the eye, gaze fixed on the red lines around Rin's wrists, "I kind of liked it."  He looked as startled as Rin felt at his confession, green eyes going wide before shooting to meet Rin's gaze for a moment.  Then he was at the door.  "I'm sorry.  You must be disgusted to hear that."  And then he was gone and once again Rin was alone in Mako's bed.


	7. Chapter 7

When Makoto finally came back that evening he expected Rin to be gone.  Packed up and hundreds of miles away.  If not hundreds of miles away then he was at his sister’s place, or maybe even Haru’s, hidden away behind numerous locks and glaring eyes.  He had really screwed things up this time.  Shuffling his way up the steps to his apartment he sighed.  

Looking back on it he had pretty much screwed everything up from the beginning.  Honestly.  The very first night he had seen Rin again in years and he had handcuffed him to his freaking bed.  Really.  Who does something like that?  The fact that Rin didn’t really even seem to mind it had made it easy to kind of push it to the back of his mind.

Rin being so easygoing about everything had made it all so easy. Made it easy to indulge in his weird fantasies.  Made it easy to monopolize him.  Made it easy to forget that these urges weren’t quite within the range of “normal” or “socially acceptable.”

A door shutting at the end of the hall startled him out of his daze and he finally opened his door, toeing off his shoes as he shut the door and locked it behind him.  A soft glow from the living room drew him in and he stopped halfway there when he spotted Rin’s arms stretched in the air.  Rin was lying on the couch rolling a hair tie in his fingers idly, most likely only half paying attention to the movie playing on the tv.  One hand dropped out of the air and a moment later Makoto heard Rin munching on popcorn.

It all seemed so… normal.  As if that morning hadn’t happened.

“Rin?”  The redhead pulled himself up enough to drape his arms over the back of the couch and he smiled.

“Hey, Mako.  You wanna grab something to drink and join me?  I’ve seen the movie like a dozen times and could use company and some help finishing this popcorn.”  Rin flopped back onto the couch and turned his attention back to the movie.

“Rin?”

“What is it, Mako?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Hmm?”  Rin’s hand popped up over the back of the couch and he waved towards Makoto and the kitchen.  “Yeah, yeah.  Come on before you miss the best part.”  He grabbed a couple bottles of soda and sat on the end of the couch opposite Rin wincing in surprise when Rin suddenly sat up and then dropped his head onto Makoto’s lap.

“You’re not mad?”

“Well I’m a little irritated at being left home alone all day.  But other than that I’m good.”  He nuzzled Makoto’s thigh a little and sighed.  “Are you okay?”

“I… I don’t know.”

 

When Makoto had panicked and left that morning Rin hadn’t even for a moment considered leaving even though he would have had every right to.  His boyfriend had just told him he had taken some enjoyment out of hurting him the night before.  Not that anything that Makoto had done really hurt Rin.  Sure there were a few unexpected bruises and aches he hadn’t experienced before.  But it’s not like he had ever felt in danger or threatened in any way.  They had ways of communicating, safe words and all that, that would have stopped Makoto even in his state of… well whatever he was in.  Because Rin knew that no matter where Makoto’s brain was he would not hurt Rin in a way Rin didn’t allow him to.  If Rin said to stop, if he used his safe word, Makoto would back off in an instant.

So he had waited for awhile.  Hoping Makoto was just out for a run to work things through or had decided to go to the shop down the road for some coffee or tea or something.  But after two hours he assumed Mako wasn’t going to be back anytime soon.  So he got cleaned up.  Poking curiously at the marks and stretching beneath the hot water in the shower.  When Makoto still hadn’t come home - Rin wasn’t expecting a call or text because he spotted Makoto’s phone on the kitchen counter when he grabbed the milk out of the fridge for a drink earlier - by lunchtime Rin made himself a sandwich and dropped to the table.  He popped open his laptop and decided to take the time to do a little research.  

It wasn’t the first time one of them had kind of freaked out a little after they revealed (or tried) one of their more unorthodox kinks.  They had found that the best way to deal with it was research and talking.  Since talking was currently out of the question Rin settled for the research.  Even though he wasn’t really even sure what to look for.

But he did not leave.  He refused to.  He had done his share of running away when he was younger.  He was through with that.  With Makoto he had finally found his reason to stay, had finally found his home, and nothing was going to change that.

He just had to make sure that Makoto understood that when he finally came home.  That he understood that Rin’s place was at his side no matter what.

 

So when Makoto finally started to relax as they watched the movie Rin let himself sigh happily before dozing off with about twenty minutes of the movie left.  When he woke up an hour later it was to Makoto was running his fingers through Rin’s hair and watching the menu of the movie play over and over with glazed eyes.

Rin reached up and ran his knuckles along Makoto’s chin, smiling when he looked down at him.  There was a simple way to make Makoto understand.  To make him realize where Rin’s place was no matter what.  To make him understand what Rin’s choice was, what it would always be, what it had always kind of been.  

“I love you, Makoto.”  He felt Makoto stiffen, breath held, as he searched Rin’s eyes.  A small almost unbelieving smile crept onto Makoto’s face and he let out his breath.

“I love you too, Rin.”  Makoto caught Rin’s fingers and pressed a kiss to his wrist, lips brushing the marks from the night before and this time Rin felt his breath catch at the possessive look in Makoto's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a little more that I wanted to write at the end but it just wasn't coming together at all. Maybe I will have to write a bonus chapter in the future if it ever starts to come back.


End file.
